JAMB Uncovers 13 Fake A’Level Certificates, Warns Tertiary Institutions On Admission Fraud

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised concerns over tertiary institutions admitting students using fraudulent Advanced Level (A’level) results without proper verification.

In its weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed that the board recently discovered 13 additional fake A’level certificates submitted for admission consideration.

Naija News understands that some of these had already been processed by institutions before the fraud was detected.

JAMB stressed that the affected candidates have been handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution and warned institutions to verify credentials diligently to maintain the integrity of the admission process.

According to the bulletin: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has observed that some institutions are failing to verify the results used for admitting candidates, particularly those seeking direct entry.

“One of the fundamental purposes of the screening process is to ensure that only legitimate documents are used to consider and accept candidates for admission and registration. It is crucial for institutions to understand that this responsibility lies primarily with them.”

The board explained that it launched the Nigeria Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPEDS) two years ago in response to an alarming report from Bayero University, Kano.

The university had verified 148 A’level results and found only six to be genuine, exposing widespread certificate forgery.

NIPEDS was introduced to assist in the verification of A’level qualifications, including certificates from foreign institutions, particularly for Direct Entry admissions.

The bulletin further revealed: “Through NIPEDS, JAMB has received confirmations from foreign institutions alerting them to forged certificates presented by candidates.

“Recently, thirteen additional A’level certificates were identified as fake after being submitted for admission consideration, with some institutions having already proposed the candidates based on these fraudulent documents. The candidates involved have been referred to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

“Consequently, institutions that propose candidates for admission using fake certificates will be viewed as accomplices in this fraudulent activity.”

JAMB clarified that while NIPEDS is a crucial tool, institutions must still conduct independent verification of credentials.

“The most egregious example of forgery involves candidates who submitted forged Interim Joint Matriculation Board Examination (IJMBE) results from ABU Zaria in an attempt to gain admission to ABU itself.”

JAMB urged all institutions to “thoroughly verify all A’level qualifications presented for admission, regardless of whether they were issued by their own institution or by others.”